The Inside Story of the "Bratz" Doll Case - A $100 Million Dollar Dispute

With well over $1 billion in sales over the past three years, “Bratz” dolls have captured a large share of the fashion doll market. Mattel, Inc. sued MGA Entertainment for copyright infringement, alleging that its own designer had designed the “Bratz” dolls while he was still a Mattel employee. Last summer, a jury found that the designer of the "Bratz" dolls was guilty of copyright infringement, as well as several other state law infractions, and Mattel was awarded $10 million in copyright and $90 million in other damages. The Court subsequently confirmed Mattel’s copyright ownership in “Bratz” doll designs going forward, entered injunctions barring MGA from further manufacture and sale of “Bratz” products and appointed a monitor to transition “Bratz” to Mattel.  

Join our expert speaker, Michael Zeller, who represented Mattel in this high-status case, as he shares his knowledge of the legal issues, the litigation strategy he used, and the challenges he encountered in litigating a high-profile and high-stakes case.

Michael T. Zeller is a partner at Quinn Emanuel specializing in intellectual property litigation, with over 17 years of experience in a broad array of Lanham Act, patent, copyright, and trade secret disputes.  He has been frequently named as one of California's top intellectual property litigators, including in surveys published by Los Angeles Magazine and California Lawyer Magazine.  He was named as one of Southern California's Top Lawyers for 2007 and 2008 as well.  In 2009, Mr. Zeller received the prestigious California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) award for "extraordinary achievements" in intellectual property litigation. Mr. Zeller is admitted to the State Bars of California, Illinois, and New York and regularly practices in the federal courts in those jurisdictions as well as the TTAB.  He also routinely handles cross-border intellectual property disputes.

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